The difference is that you are the product and your skills are what you are marketing.

If I send in my resume to a company for a position as a customer service representative and on my resume it says I am seeking a position as a Sales Manager, I am marketing to the wrong demographic.

This would be like trying to market hearing aids to 16 year old’s.

If you are applying for a specific job you need to include in your resume that you are interested in that specific job.

Usually this would be within your summary.

An example might be:

I am a Customer Service specialist with 15 years experience in assisting clients to better understand my companies products and services seeking a position as a Customer Service Representative where I can use my excellent skills in negotiation and problem resolution to help expand an organization.

If you read this resume it is very clear you are seeking a Customer Service job.

Now just like a Marketing Promo Piece you need to explain why they should buy your products or services.

Or in the case of a resume why they should hire you for the job.

You do this by supporting your claims that you are a skilled customer service person.

By listing your accomplishments that reflect your customer service skills.

I call these your “David Letterman Top 10 accomplishments”, because like David Letterman you list them by what is the most relevant accomplishment first.

Then the other accomplishments are less and less relevant as you progress down to number 10.

The number 1 accomplishment might be:

Saved the company $10,000 by winning back a disgruntled client.

Here is the big question then:

Do I have to customize my resume for every job I apply for”?

The answer is:

Yes. If you really want the job.

But if you do it right you don’t have to rewrite your resume for every job you apply to.